- Specialty Pleural Mesothelioma
- Procedure Clinical Trials
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UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
1600 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Dr. Thierry Jahan
Dr. Thierry Jahan is a world-class cancer surgeon in San Francisco, California, specializing in pleural mesothelioma. He co-founded the Thoracic Oncology Program at the University of California San Francisco and helped develop it into a leading treatment center. Dr. Jahan has over 30 years of experience and has won multiple awards for his work as a medical oncologist.
About Dr. Jahan
Dr. Jahan received his medical training in Washington before moving to the West Coast and joining the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. He has spent the past 20+ years treating pleural mesothelioma patients and developing the Thoracic Oncology Program that he co-founded with Dr. David Jablons in 1994.
As Principal Investigator on several clinical trials, Dr. Jahan continually stays informed of promising new mesothelioma treatments and improved methods of delivering existing procedures. He balances his keen interest in clinical trials by chairing UCSF’s Committee on Human Research and Data Safety Monitoring to ensure safe and ethical research.
Dr. Jahan’s peers have recognized him with several department awards. In 2016, he was inducted into the UCSF Department of Medicine’s Council of Master Clinicians, a “select group of outstanding physicians with exceptional knowledge, superior teaching and communication skills, and the ability to provide compassionate, appropriate, effective, and high-quality patient care.”
Dr. Jahan is much in demand as a mesothelioma specialist, but he is available to meet new patients and suggest a tailored treatment plan specific to their case.
Dr. Jahan’s Location
Mesothelioma patients can work with Dr. Jahan by contacting him through:
UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
1600 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 885-3882
Dr. Jahan’s Career Highlights
Dr. Jahan is well-known for many accomplishments and contributions to mesothelioma research and treatment, including:
- Co-founded the University of California San Francisco Thoracic Oncology Program and currently leads the medical oncology group
- Treated many pleural mesothelioma patients in a tailored, multimodal approach
- Researched new treatments and combinations as Principal Investigator on clinical trials
- Inducted into UCSF’s Department of Medicine’s Council of Master Clinicians
Dr. Jahan’s Background
Dr. Jahan lived a nomadic childhood, spending time in France, the United States and Venezuela. When he was eight years old, his mother was diagnosed with pancreatitis. Surgeons performed a successful operation and restored her to good health, leaving Dr. Jahan in awe.
“As an eight-year-old, I said, ‘I want to do what those doctors do: I want to give another kid his mom back.’ ” — Dr. Thierry Jahan
That motivation to help others followed Dr. Jahan into adulthood. He began his medical education at Université de Paris V-René Descartes in Paris before transferring to the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York, and later to George Washington University School of Medicine where he earned his medical degree. From there, Dr. Jahan moved west to complete an internal medicine residency at UCLA’s Department of Medicine Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Jahan joined the University of California San Francisco’s medical department in 1994, and it did not take him long to make an impact. Along with a fellow surgeon, he co-founded the Thoracic Oncology Program at UCSF and has since developed it into one of the top programs of its kind in the world.
In addition to providing surgical options, the program operates a medical research center that runs clinical trials and offers promising new treatments to mesothelioma patients.
Dr. Jahan’s Medical Specializations
Dr. Jahan is a board-certified medical oncologist who specializes in thoracic cancers, including pleural mesothelioma. When working with mesothelioma patients, Dr. Jahan considers each case individually to suggest an optimal treatment plan that is unique to each person. He is known for treating pleural mesothelioma in a multimodal approach that combines surgery with chemotherapy, radiation and/or other options.
Some of these treatment suggestions arise from the groundbreaking clinical trials and medical research undertaken by the medical oncology group led by Dr. Jahan. He also investigates different combinations of mesothelioma treatments to determine which combinations work best in different scenarios.
About UCSF’s approach to treatment, Dr. Jahan says:
“We offer solutions and possibilities. I tell patients, ‘This is what the average patient can expect, but I’m shooting for the good side of the bell curve.’ I empower them to make decisions about how they want to face their disease.” — Dr. Thierry Jahan
Dr. Jahan’s Career Accomplishments
Dr. Jahan has treated pleural mesothelioma patients from all around the world. His multimodal treatments using a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and/or supplementary treatments has proven successful in extending patients’ lives and reducing painful symptoms.
His work as Principal Investigator of various clinical trials gives Dr. Jahan fresh information about groundbreaking treatment options and combinations that may work better for certain patients. He even has an award named after him—the Dr. Thierry Jahan “A Breath Away from the Cure” Award—which recognizes excellence in oncology
Awards & Honors
- Medical House Staff Outstanding Teacher Award – UCSF Medical Center
- Friend of the Palliative Care Service Award – UCSF Medical Center
- Council of Master Clinicians – UCSF Medical Center
- Kennamer Fellow in Internal Medicine – UCLA
- Hematology/Oncology Fellow – UCSF
Dr. Jahan’s Current Work
Dr. Jahan currently works at the University of San Francisco Medical Center. His roles include:
- Leading the Thoracic Oncology Program’s medical oncology group
- Overseeing clinical trials as Principal Investigator
- Teaching UCSF medical students
Mesothelioma patients from around the United States and beyond seek out Dr. Jahan for his 30+ years of oncology experience and his insights into new cancer treatment options. Up until recently, he participated in research for a potential mesothelioma vaccine. The trial was halted but, work continues to find a breakthrough treatment.
Notable Work by Dr. Jahan
Dr. Jahan has contributed over 50 journal articles, book chapters and other written material to the oncology field, and is a well-respected medical researcher and oncologist.
He has also become a go-to media contact for newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television networks about mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers. Publications like Time magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle have interviewed Dr. Jahan for his knowledge and expertise.
Dr. Jahan’s Commitment to Compassion
Dr. Jahan is well regarded for the empathy he demonstrates to his patients while they seek treatment at UCSF. After all, he knows first-hand the pain of losing a loved one to mesothelioma: his own father was killed by the disease.
“That experience was painful but extraordinarily informative. I have a pretty good idea of what patients and families go through, and it helped shape how I do things.” — Dr. Thierry Jahan
Dr. Jahan’s commitment to compassion is just one aspect of his multimodal treatment approach. By delivering promising news that medical advancements allow patients to “live longer, live better,” they can go through their treatment with a sense of hope.
